It's Friday. Why you love the Golden State. Plus, California legislators may change how power bills are calculated.
I was recently driving around Gold County when I followed a turnoff onto a narrow, forested road toward Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. Once I arrived at the desolate park, about 90 miles northeast of Sacramento in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, I drove by wooden homes, a church and a schoolhouse in a gold-rush ghost town (originally called "Humbug" by unlucky miners). Minutes later, beneath a canopy of pine trees, I stood in awe at the park's most recognizable feature: enormous and stunning white-and-ocher cliffs. As I soon learned, Malakoff Diggins has a fascinating and awful history. In the second half of the 19th century, miners who couldn't find any more gold in streams began washing away entire mountainsides here in search of precious metals buried in the hills. This practice, known as hydraulic mining, devastated the landscape and eventually led to the first environmental law enacted in the nation, according to the state parks department. And it left behind the carved mountainsides that visitors marvel at today. That there's still so much of California for me to discover is a big part of why it's a joy to live here. Readers have been writing to me about why they also love living in the Golden State. Here's some of what they shared, lightly edited: "I love the biodiversity of California, stemming from coastal to montane to desert habitats. From superblooms in Carrizo Plain and the desert — Joshua Tree to Anza-Borrego — to the vernal pools of California to the redwoods and the coast. And let's not forget the elephant seal colonies, the orange-bellied newts that crawl out every spring, the huge aggregations of snow geese and ducks in winter, monarch butterflies hanging in long clusters and so much more." — Sharon Strauss, Davis "Just yesterday we're hurrying home and see a crowd of people on the overpass facing the beach and wonder what they could be looking at. I notice there's even more people trudging up the on-ramp to the overpass. We look in the rearview mirror and realize all those people are there to watch the oncoming sunset. How amazing. Something that happens like clockwork is so beautiful in our city that it draws a crowd. Every day." — Susan Alinsangan, Santa Monica "I love my block in the flatlands of North Oakland, located between and near freeways, multiple BART tracks, and a world-class children's hospital. Since moving here in 1991, I have seen a lot of changes, but its core values have remained the same. When my husband had a devastating bicycling accident, an older neighbor took care of me. When I took in my brother's children, I found nearby youngsters to play with them. Now, many years later, I am the oldest person living on our block. The other day I was lamenting the fact that I would have to reserve an Uber for an upcoming flight. My young tech-employed neighbor volunteered to take me, despite my protests that it would be too early in the morning." — Susan Parker, Oakland "No need for a clock, I hear the hourly and semi-hourly chiming of the bells of Saints Peter and Paul Church on Washington Square. No need for a car, I walk to my dentist, my grocery store, to Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Café, not for a cigar but for a cappuccino, and I pass the streets and apartments of America's great poets, thinkers and troublemakers: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The sounds and smells of the Pacific Ocean mingle with roasting coffee beans, fresh pizza, a jazz combo on the corner of Columbus and Stockton Streets, and barking harbor seals at Pier 39. I live in North Beach, San Francisco — a village within a 47-square mile city." — Nancy Bertossa, San Francisco
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Tell usWe've been compiling our California soundtrack for years and have captured most of the hits. What songs do you think still need to be added? Tell us at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Please include your name, the city where you live and a few sentences on why you think your song deserves to be included.
And before you go, some good newsOlder skiers on the West Coast and in California are still getting their runs in even well into their 80s and 90s.
These skiers, some of whom have been hitting the slopes since the days of leather boots and straight skis, are still tackling mountains every season thanks to a network of local clubs. One such club at the Alta Ski Area in Utah, called the Wild old Bunch, has been around for half a century and has more than 100 members. Similar groups have also formed at ski resorts in Colorado and Vermont, and a national group called the 70+ Ski Club takes older skiers on trips across the country. The groups have created an important community for older, die-hard skiers, many of whom no longer have peers at home to ski with. The community has enabled many to continue the sport, keeping them healthy while also providing social connections. The perks aren't bad either. Mammoth Mountain in California, as well as resorts in Utah and New Mexico, allow people over 80 to ski free, a huge draw for those on fixed incomes confronting the nearly $200 price of a daily lift ticket. "The people I started skiing with have all either died or quit skiing," Fran Ando, 92, of Torrance, who is a member of the 70+ Ski Club, told The New York Times in a recent interview. "Many of my friends are through this group now." Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. Enjoy your weekend. — Soumya P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword. Maia Coleman and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.
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Friday, March 29, 2024
California Today: Readers share why they love the Golden State
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